A conventional card edge connector having an ejecting mechanism is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8(1996)-203608 (FIG. 1 and FIG. 5). This card edge connector comprises a L-shaped lever that extends along a lateral edge of a card. The lever is rotatably mounted at a first end of an elongate connector housing. The connector housing is equipped with a slot, which is formed along its longitudinal direction, for receiving the card (circuit board). The L-shaped lever is mounted toward a first end of the slot. The rotational center of the lever is toward the first end of the connector housing. The lever comprises: an operating portion, which is positioned at the lower edge of the inserted card (circuit board); and a handle portion, which is formed integrally with the operating portion and extends in the insertion/extraction direction of the card. To eject a card which is mounted in this card edge connector having an ejecting mechanism, the handle portion of the lever is moved outward within a plane parallel to the main surface of the inserted card. This outward movement causes the operating portion to lift the card in the manner of a lever, to eject the card from the slot.
Another conventional card edge connector having an ejecting mechanism is known, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,922 (FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7). This card edge connector comprises an ejector that extends from a connector housing along the lateral edge of a card. To eject a card which is mounted in this connector, the upper edge of the ejector is pressed toward the connector housing along the lateral edge of the card. This pressing motion causes a cam portion of the ejector to push the card out from the slot.
Meanwhile, cards (miniature circuit boards), which are utilized by personal computers and the like, are increasing in capacity. Along with this increase, the number of electronic components, such as IC chips, which are mounted on the cards, is increasing. These increases are causing the cards themselves to become large in size. As a large card of this type, there are graphic cards and the like, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,368,124 (FIG. 2). This type of card has a width, which is wider than that of a connecting portion and perpendicular to the insertion/extraction direction thereof. Another characteristic of the shape of the card is that an engaging protrusion, for engaging an ejector, is provided.
Both of the conventional card edge connectors having ejecting mechanisms, as disclosed in the above Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8(1996)-203608 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,922, comprise a lever that extend along the lateral edge of a card. However, in the case that the lever is shaped in this manner, it is impossible to mount the aforementioned large cards into these connectors. If the lever is miniaturized, it will be covered by a portion of the large card. Therefore, particularly in the case that a great number of card edge connectors are arranged at high density, it becomes difficult for fingers to approach the levers, thereby precluding operation thereof. Assuming that the levers are able to be operated, it becomes necessary to provide spaces, which are sufficiently large to enable fingers to approach the levers and to enable rotation thereof, adjacent to the card edge connectors having ejecting mechanisms. For this reason, there is a problem that card edge connectors having ejecting mechanisms, other card edge connectors, and electronic components cannot be mounted on a motherboard at high density.